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FRIDAY, MARCH J, 1919.
THE INDEPENDENT, EUZABETH CITY, N. C.
PAGE FTVU
it
flSfe. ILaght
in the
CI c Hiring
A Tala of tha North
Country in the Tima
qf Silas Wright
IRVING BACHELUQR
AuthoT of Bbn Holdn." "D'ri iol
L" "Darrcl of th BlcMed !!
"Keeplns Up With Unto," Bte Bte.
it.
(Copyright, 1917, Irving B&eheUer) .
8YN0PS18.
CHAPTER I Barton Baynes, ' orphan,
u taken to live with his uncle, Peabody
names, and his Aunt Deel on a farm on
Rattleroad in a neighborhood called Lick
(tvsplit about the year 1826. Barton meets
Rally Dunkelberg, about his own age, but
socially of a class above the Bayneses,
and is fascUated by the pretty face
gad fine clothes.
CHAPTER CT Barton meets Roving
Kate, known In the neighborhood as the
"Silent Woman." Amos Grimshaw, young
on of the richest man in the township,
u & visitor at the , Baynes home, and
Roving Kate tells the fortunes of the two
boys, predicting a bright future t&t Bar
ton and death on the gallows for Amos.
Reproved for ah act of boyish mischief
Barton runs away, intending to make his
home with the Dunkelbergs. He reaches
the village of Canton and falls into a
.sleep of exhaustion on a porch. There
is found by Silas Wright, Jr.. promi
nent man in public affairs, who, knowing;
Peabody Baynes. takes Barton heme af
ter buying him new clothes.
' fHAPTER HI Barton" "and his uncle
andaunt visit Canton and hear Silas
Wright read a sermon, ' .
CHAPTER TV Silas Wright evinces
much interest in Barton, and sends a box
nf books and magazines to the Baynes
home The election of Ellas Wright to
the United States senate is announced.
.CHAPTER V.
The Great Stranger
Some strangers came along the
road those days hunters, peddlers
and the like and their coming filled
me with a Joy which mostly went
away with them, I regret to say. None
of these, however, appealed to my
Imagination as did old Kate. Bui
there was one stranger greater than
Bbe greater Indeed, than any other
rho came into Rattleroad. He came
rarely and would not be long detained.
How curiously we looked at him,
knowing his fame and power! This
great stranger was Money.
I shall never forget the day that
my uncle showed me a dollar bill and
a little shiny, gold coin, and three
pieces of silver, nor can I forget how
carefully he watched them while
they lay in my hands and ' presently
put them back into his wallet. That
was long before the time of which 1
am writing. I remember hearing him
6ay, one day of that year, when .1
asked him to take us to the Caravan
of Wild Beasts which was coming to
the village :
Tm sorry, but it's been a hundred
Sundays since I had a dollar in my
wallet for more than ten minutes."
I have his old account book foi
the years of 1837 and 1838. Here are
6ome of the entries:
"Balanced accounts with J. Doro
thy and gave him my note for $2.15
to he paid in salts January 1, 1838.
Sold ten bushels of wheat to E. Mine
at 90 cents, to be paid in goods.
"Sold two fheep to Flavins Curtis
and took his note for $6, payable in
loots on or beore March the first."
Only one entry in more than a
hundred mention money, and this was
the sum of eleven cents received in
balance from a neighbor.
So it will be seen that a spirit of
mutual accotumoilatlon served to
help us over the rough going. Mr.
Gnmshaw, however, demanded his
Pay in cash and that I find was main
ly the habit of the moey-lenders.
e were poor but our poverty was
not like that of these days in which
I am writing. It was proud and
cleanly and well-fed. Our fathers
had seen heroic service in the wars
and we knew it.
I was twelve years old when I be
gan to be the reader for our little
family. Aunt Deel had long com
plained that she couldn't keep up with
ner knitting and read so much. We
had not seen Mr. Wright for nearly
two years, but he had sent us the
novels of Sir Walter Scott and I had
led them heart deep into the creed
battles of Old Mortality.
Then came the evil days of 1837,
hen the story of our lives began to
quicken its pace and excite our inter
est in its coming chapters. It gave
us enough to think of, God knows.
Wild speculations in land and' the
American paper-money system had
brought us into rough going. The
banks of the city of New York had
suspended payment of their notes.
rey could no longer meet their en
gagements. As usual, the burden fell
heaviest on the poor. It was hard to
get money even for black salts.
Uncle Peabody had been silent and
depressed for a month or more. He
had signed a note for Rodney Barnes,
a cousin, long before and was afraid
that Iip would have to pay it. I -didn't
know what a note was and I remem
ber that one night, when I lay think
"iff about it, I decided that it must
inething in the nature of horse
eoHo. My uncle told me that a note
J'as a trouble which attacked the
brain instead of the stomach.
0;i? autumn day In Canton Uncle
I'eiihduy traded three sheep and twen
ty bushels of wheat for a cook stove
sr.f brought it home In the big wagon.
E".Tney Barnes came with him to help
et:'t up the stove. He was a big giant
f a man with the longest nose in the
township. I have often wondered how
auy one woui solve the problem of
kis
ing Mr. Barnes in the Immediate
Region of his nose, the same being in
nature of a defense.
That evening I was chiefly Inter
ested in the stove. What a joy it
as to me with Its damper and grid
a'es and high oven and the shiny edge
n its hearth! It rivaled, in Its nov
Sltyandcharm. any tin peddler's cart
Axtell and his, wife. wh
pass their house, hurried over for a
- nrery nana was on the
stove as we tenderly carried it Into
piece Dy piece, and set it
up. Then they cut a hole In the up
per floor and the stone chimney and
fitted the pipe. How keenly wq
watched the building of the fire. How
Quickly it roared and began to heat
the room!
When; the Axtells had gone away
auui uwi BaiQI ' s. ,
fs; grand ! It la sartin trat rm
Trald we can't afford Itayes I be!"
-We can't afford to freeze any
longer. I made up my mind that we
couldnt go through another wlntei
as" we have," was my uncle's answer.
"How much did it cost?" she asked.
- "Not much differ'nt 'from thirty
four dollars in sheep and grain," hs
answered.
Bodney Barnes stayed to euppei
and spent a part of the evening with
us. -,- ;-
Uke other settlers there, Mr.
Barnes was a cheerful optimist. Every-
imng looked good to him until it
turned out badly.
He told how he had heard that it
was a growing country near the great
water highway of the St. Lawrence.
Prosperous townsi were building uj
In it. There were going to be great
dries- In Northern New York. There
were rich stores of lead and Irpr
to the rocks. Mr; Barnes had, bought
two hundred a'cres at ten dollars an
acre. He had to pay a fee of five
per cent, to Grimshaw's lawyer for
the survey and the papers. This left
him owing fourteen hundred dollar! I
Jn his farlSmuch more than It was
worth. . . - ,
Our cousin twisted the poker In
his great hands until it squeaked ai
he stood before my imcle and said :
"My wife and I have chopped and
burnt and pried and hauled rock's an'
shoveled dung an milked an' churned
until we are worn out. For almost
twenty years we've been workin 'days
an' nights an' Sundays. My mortgage
was over-due, I owed six hundred dol
lars on it. I thought it all over one
day an' went up to Grimshaw's an'
took him by the back of the neck
and shook him. He said he would
drive me out o' the country. He
gave me sis months to pay up. I had
to pay or lose the land. I got the
money on the note that you signed
over in Potsdaat. Nobody in Can
ton would 'a dared to lend it to
me."
"Why?" my uncle asked.
"'Fraid o' Grimshaw. He didn't
want me to be able to pay it. The
place is worth more than six hundred
dollars now that's the reason. I In
tended to cut some timber an' haul
It to the village this winter so I could
pay a part o' the note an' git more
.time as I told ye, but the roads have
been so ad I couldn't do any haul
In'." My uncle went and took a drink at
the water pail. I saw by his face
that he was unusually wrought up.
"My heavens an earth!" he ex
claimed as he sat down again. -
"It's the brain colic," I said to
myself as I looked at him.
Mr. Barnes seemed to have it also.
"Too much note," I whispered.
"I'm awful sorry, but I've done
everything I could," said Mr. Barnes.
"Ain't there somebody that'll take
another mortgage? it ought to be
safe now," my uncle suggested.
"Money is so tight it can't be done.
The bank has got all the money an'
Grimshaw owns the bank. I've tried
and tried, but m make you safe. Ill
give you a mortgage until I can turn
'round."
So I saw how Rodney Barnes, like
other settlers in Lickitysplitj had gone
Into bondage to the landlord.
"How much do you owe on this
place?" Barnes asked.
"Seven hundred an' fifty dollars,"
said my uncle.
"Is it due?"
"It's been due a year an' if I have
to pay that note m be short my In
terest." "God o' Israeli Tm scairt," said
Uncle Peabody.
Down crashed the stick of wood
Into the box.
"What about?"
"It would be like him to put the
screws on you now. You've got be
tween him an' his prey. You've taken
the mouse away from the cat."
1 remember the little panic that
fell on us then. I could see tears
in the eyes of Aunt Deel as she sat
with her head leaning wearily on her
hand.
"If he does m do all I can," said
Barnes, "whatever I've got will be
yours."
Kodney Barnes left us, and I re
member how Uncle Peabody stood In
the middle of the floor and whistled
the merriest tune he knew.'
"Stand right up here," he called in
his most cheerful tone. "Stand right
up here before me, both o' ye.
I got Aunt Deel by the hand and
led her toward my uncle. We stood
"One, Two, Three, Ready Sing."
facing him. MStand stralghter," he
demanded. "Now, altogether. One,
two, three, readysing." ,
He beat time with his hand In Imi
tation of the singing- iriaster at the
schoolhouse and we joined him in
singing an old tune which began : "Ohi
keep my heart from sadness, God.", '
This irresistible spirit of the man
bridged a bad hpur and got us off
to bed In fairly good condition,
v A few vdays later the - note came
due and its owner Insisted upon full
payment. There was such a clamor for
money those dayl I remember that
my aunt had sixty dollars which she
had saved, little by little, by selling
eggs and chickens. She had planned
to use it to buy a tombstone for her
mother and. father a long-cherished
ambition. My uncle needed the most
of it to help pay the note. We drove
to Potsdam on that sad ' errand and
what a time we . had getting there
and .back in deep mud and 6and and
jolting over corduroys!
"Bart," my uncle said the next
evening, as I took down the book to
read, "I guess we'd better tali
things over a little tonight. These
are hard times. If we can find any
body with money enough to buy 'em
I dunno but we better sell the
sheep." .
: "H you hadn't been a fool," my
aunt exclaimed with a look of great
distress "ayes! If you hadn't been
a fool." '
; "I'm just, what I be, an' I alnt so
big a fool that JI need to be reminded
Of it," said myunclet
"I'll stay home an' work," I pro
posed bravely.
You ain't old enough for that,"
sighed Aunt Deel.
"I want to keep you in school," said
Uncle . Peabody, who sat making a
ispiint broom. "
While; w were talking in walked
Benjamin Grimshaw the rich man ol
.the hills. He didn't stop to 'knock,
but walked right in as if the house
were his own. It was common gos
sip that he held a mortgage on every
.acre of the countryside. I had nevei
liked him, for he was a stern-eyed
man who was always scolding some
.body, and I had not forgotten what hU
son had said of him.
. "Good night!" he exclaimed curtly,
as ho sat down and set his cane be
tween his feet and rested his hand!
upon It. He spoke hoarsely and 1
remember the curious notion" came ta
me that he looked like our old ram.
He wore a thin, gray beard under hlx
chin. His mouth was shut tight In
a long line curving downward a lit
tle at the ends. My uncle used to
say that his mouth was made to keep
his thoughts from leaking and going
to waste. He had a big body, a big
chin, a big mouth, ' a big nose and
big ears and hands. His eyes lay
small in this setting of bigness.
"Why, Mr. Grimshaw, It's years
since you've been In our house-
ayes !" said Aunt Deel.
"I suppose It Is," he answered rath
er sharply. "I don't have much time
to get around. I have to work.
There's some people seem to be able
to git along without it. I see you've
got one o' these newfangled stoves,'
he added as he looked it over. "Huh I
Rich folks can have anything they
want."
Uncle Peabody had sat splintering
the long stick of yellow birch. I ob
served that the jackknife trembled In
his hand. His tone had a touch of
unnaturalness, proceeding no doubt
from his fear of the man before him,
as he said:
"When I bought that stove I felt
richer than I do now. I had almost
enough to settle with you up to date,
but I signed a note for a friend and
had to pay it."
"Ayuh! I suppose so," Grimshaw
answered in a tone of bitter irony
which cut me like a knife-blade, youag
as I was. "What business have you
signln' notes an glvin' away money
which ain't yours to give I'd like to
know? What business have you actin
like a rich man when you can't pay
yer honest debts? I'd like to know
that, too?"
"If I've ever acted like a rich man
It's been when I wa'n't lookin'," said
Uncle Peabody.
"What business have you to go en-
largin' yer family takin another
mouth to feed and another body to
spin for? That costs money. I want
to tell you one thing, Baynes, you've
got to pay up or git out o' here."
He raised his cane and shook it in
the air as he spoke.
"Oh, I ain't no doubt o' that," said
Uncle Peabody. "You'll have to have
yer money that's sure; an' you will
have It If I live, every cent of It.
This. boy is goin to be a great help
to me you don't know what a good
boy he fs and what a comfort he's
been tons!"
These words of my beloved uncle
uncovered tny emotions so that I put
my elbow on the wood-box and leaned
my head open it and sobbed.
"I ain't goln to be hard on ye,
Baynes," said Mr. Grimshaw as he
rose from his chair; T11 give ye
three.months to see what you can do.
I wouldn't wonder if the boy would
turn out all right. He's big an' cordy
of his age and a purty likely boy, they
tell me."
Mr. Grimshaw opened the door and
stood for a moment looking at us and
added in a milder tone: "You've got
one o' the best farms In this town an'
if ye work hard an' use common
sense ye ought to be out o' debt In
five years mebbe less."
He closed the door and went away.
Neither of us moved or spoke as we
listened to his footsteps on the gravel
path that went down to the road and
to the sound of his buggy as he drove
away. Then Uncle Peabody broke
the silence by saying:
"He's the dam'dest "
He stopped, set the half -splintered
stick aside, closed his jackknife and
went to the water-pail to cool his
emotions with a drink.
Aunt Deel took up the subject where
he had dropped it, as if no-half-expressed
sentiment would satisfy her,
saying:
" elrfnflfTI'f- (-flat nirm. U-
uiaii CTU UTWL X
this world, ayes I I ain't goin to
hold my opinion o' that man no
longer, ayes I I can't. It's -too pow
erful ayes !" .
- Having recovered- my . composure I
repeated that X ehould like, ta gJTja up
school and stay at home and work.
Aunt Deel Interrupted me by say
ing : ', -
"I have an Idee that ; Sile Wright
will help us ayes I He's comln' homo
an' you better go down an see him
ayes! Hadn't yer o
"Bart an ni go down to-morrer."
said Uncle Peabody. . ..
Some fourteen months before that
day my uncle had taken ine to Pots
dam and traded grain . and salts for
what he called a "rlp'roarin' fine suit
o clothes" with boots and cap and
shirt and collar and necktie to match,
I having earned them by sawing and
cording wood at three shillings a"
cord. How often we looked' back to
those better days I The clothes had
been too big for me and I had had to
wait until my growth had taken up
the "slack" in my coat and trousers
before I could venture out of the
neighborhood. I had tried them on
every week or so for a long time. Now
lay statu e filled them handsomely
and tbey filled me with a pride and
saisf action which I had never known
before.
"Now may the Lord help ye to be
careful awful, terrible careful o
them - clothes every minute o this
day," Aunt Deel cautioned as she
looked at me. "Don't git no horse
sweat nor wagou greate on 'em."
To Aunt Deel wagon grease was
the worst , enemy of a happy and re
spectable home.
We hitched our team to the grass
hopper spring wagon and set out on
our journey. It was a warm, hazy
Indian-summer day in November. As
we passed "the mill" we saw the Si
lent Woman looking out of the little
window of her room above the black
smith shop a low, weather-stained,
frame building, hard by the main
road, with a narrow hanging stair on
the side of it.
"She keeps watch by the winder
when she ain't travelin'," said Uncle
Peabody. "Knows all that's goin'
on that woman knows who goes to
the village an' how long they stay.
When Grimshaw goes by they eay she
hustles off down the road In her rags.
She looks like a sick dog herself, but
I've heard that she keeps that room
o' hers Just as neat as a pin."
Near the village we passed a smart
looking buggy, drawn by a spry-footed
horse in shiny harness. Then I
noticed with a pang that our wagon
was covered with dry mud and that
our horses were rather bony and our
harness a kind of lead color. So I
was in an humble state of mind when
we entered the village.
There was a crowd of men and
women in front of Mr. Wright's office
and through its open door I saw many
of his fellow townsmen. We waited at
the door for a few minutes. I crowded
in while Uncle Peabody stood talk
ing to a villager. The Senator caught
sight of me and came to my side and
put his hand on my head and said:
"Hello, Bart! How you've grown!
and how handsome you look I Where's
your uncle?" ,
"He's there . by t iSedoorv I an
swered. "Well, le's go and see him."
Mr. Wright was stouter and grayer
and grander than when I had seen
him last. . He was dressed in black
broadcloth an 3 wore a big beaver hat
and high collar and his hair was al
most white. I remember vividly his
clear, kindly, gray eyes and ruddy
cheeks.
"Baynes, Tm glad to see you," he
said heartily. "Did ye bring me any
jerked meat?"
"Didn't think of It," said Uncle
Peabody. "But Tve got a nice youngi
doe all jerked an' if you're fond o
jerk m bring ye down some to-mor
rer."
Td like to take some to Washing
ton, but I wouldn't have you bring
it so far."
Td like to bring It I want a
chance to talk with ye for half an
hour or such a matter," said my un
cle. 'Tve got a little trouble on my
hands,"
The Senator took us Into his office
and introduced us to the leading men
of the county.
"Here," said the Senator as he put
his hand on my head, "is a coming
man In the Democratic party."
The great men laughed at my
blushes and we came away with a
deep sense of pride in us. , At last I
felt equal to the ordeal of meeting
the Dunkelbergs. My uncle must have
shared my feeling,, for, to my delight,
he went straight to the basement
store above which was the modest
sign: "H. Dunkelberg, Produce."
"Well I swan!" said the merchant
in the treble voice which I remem
bered so well. "This is Bart and Pea
body! How are you?
"Pretty well,' I answered, my un
cle being too slow of speech to suit
my sense of propriety. "How Is Sal
ly?" The two men laughed heartily, much
to my embarrassment.
"He's getting right down to busi
ness," said my uncle.
"That's right," said Mr. Dunkelberg.
"Why, Bart, she's spry as a cricket
and pretty as a picture. Gome up to
dinner with me and see for yourself."
Uncle Peabody hesitated, whereupon
I gave him a furtive nod and he said
"All right," and then I had a deli
cious feeling of excitement. I had
hard work to control my Impatience
when they talked. -
By and by I asked,' "Are you most
ready to go?"
"Yes come on It's after twelve
o'clock," said Mr. Dunkelberg. "Sally
will be back from school now."
So we walked to the big house of
the Dunkelbergs and I could hear my
heart beating when we turned in at
the gate the golden gte of my youth
it must have . been, for after I had
passed it I thought no more as a child.
That rude push which Mr.. Grimshaw
gave me had hurried the passing.
I was a little surprised at my own
dignity when Sally opened the door
to welcome us. My uncle told Aunt
Deel that I acted and spoke like Silas
Wright, "so nice and proper." -Sally
was different, too less playful and
more beautiful with long yellow curlf
covering her shoulders. - ?V ' -
"How. nice you lookl" ehe Paid as
INCOME TAX
I
Any information on your Income
Tax will be gladly furnished thru
this Bank by calling on our Presi
dent, Mr. Williams.
Yours for Service
avings
P. H. WILLIAMS, Prest.
E. F. AYDLETT, Vice-Prest.
she took my arm and led me into her
playroom.
"These are my new clothes," 1
boasted. "They are very, expensive
and I have to be careful of them."
I behaved myself with great care
at the table I remember that and,
.after dinner, we played in the door
yard and the stable, I with a great
fear of tearing my new clothes. 1
stopped and cautioned her more than
once): "Be careful! For gracious
sake! be careful o' my new suit!"
As we were leaving late in the af
ternoon 6he said:
"I wish you would come here tc
school."
"I suppose he will some time," said
Uncle Peabody.
A new hope entered my breast, that
moment, and began to grow there.
"Aren't you going to kiss her?" said
Mr. Dunkelberg with a smile.
I saw the color In her cheeks deep
en as she turned with a smile and
walked away two or three steps while
the grown people laughed, and stood
with her back turned looking in at
the window.
You're looking the wrong way foi
the scenery," said Mr. Dunkelberg.
She turned and walked toward me
with a look of resolution In her pret
ty face and said:
Tm not afraid of him."
We kissed each other and, again,
that well-remembered touch of her
hair upon my face! But the feel of
her warm lips upon my own that was
so different and so sweet to remem
ber in the lonely days that followed!
Fast flows the river to the sea when
youth is sailing on it. They had
shoved me out of the quiet cove into
the swift current those dear, kindly,
thoughtless people. Sally ran away
Into the house as their laughter con
tinued and my uncle and I walked
down the street. How happy I was!
I observed with satisfaction that
the village boys did not make fun
of me when I passed them as they did
when I wore the petticoat trousers.
Mr. and Mrs. Wright came along with
the crowd, by and by, and, Colonel
Medad Moody. We had supper with
the Senator on the seat with us. He
and my uncle began to talk about the
tightness of money and the banking
laws ""and "I remember-a remark ol
my uncle, for there was that in his
tone which I could never forget:
"We poor people are trusting you
to look out for ua we poor people
are trusting you to see that we get
treated fair. We're havin' a hard
time." i
My uncle told him about the note
and the visit of Mr. Grimshaw and of
his threats and upbraidings. j
"Did he say that in Bart's hearing?" ,
asked the Senator.
"Ayes I right out plain."
"Too bad I I'm going to tell you
frankly. Baynes, that the best thing
I know about you is your conduct to-
ward this boy. I like it. The next
best thing Is the fact that you signed
the note. It was bad business but
It was good Christian conduct to help
your friend. Don't regret it. You
were poor and of an age when the
boy's pranks were troublesome to both
of you, but you took him in. m
lend you the Interest and try to get
another holder for the mortgage on
one condition. You must let me at
tend to Bart's schooling. I want to
be boss about that. .We have a great
schoolmaster In Canton and when Bart
is a little older I want him to go
jhezeJo echooV m try to find him
nformatio
B
Trust Company
Elizabeth City, N. G.
H. C. KRAMER, Cashier.
W. H. JENNINGS, Asst. Cashier.
a place where he can "worn lor his
board."
"Well miss Bart but well be tickled
to death-taere's no two ways about
that," said Uncle Peabody.
The Senator tested my arithmetic,
and grammar and geography as we
rode along In the darkness and said
by and by: "
"You'll have to work hard, Bart.
You'll have to take your book Into
the field as I did. After every row
of corn I learned a rule of syntax or
arithmetic or a fact in geography while
I rested, and my thought and memory
took hold of It as I plied the hoe. I
don't want you to stop the reading,
but from now on you must spend half
of every evening on your lessons." .
As I was going to bed the Senator
called me to him and said:
T shall be gone when you are up
In the morning. It may be a long
time before I see you; I shall leave
something for you in a sealed envel
ope with your name on It. You are
not to open the envelope until you
go away to school. I know how you
will feel that first day. When night
falls ycu will think of your aunt and
uncle and be very lonely. When you
go to your room for the night I want
you to sit dawn all by, yourself and
open the envelope and read what )
shall write. They will be, I think, the
most impressive words you ever read
You will think them over but you
will not understand them, for a long
time. Ask every wise man you meet
to explain them to you, for all youi
happiness will depend upon your un
derstanding of .those few words in the
envelope."
In the morning Aunt Deel put 11
in my hands.
"I wonder what in the world Jh
wrote there ayes!" said she. "W
must keep it careful ayes! Til pui
it in my trunk an' give it to ye when
ye go to Canton to school."
"Has Mr. Wright gone?" I asked
rather sadly.
"Ayes! Land o' mercy! He wenl
away long before daylight with a lot
o' Jerked meat In a . pack basket
ayes ! Yer uncle is goin down to the
village to see(Tout the mortgage this
afternoon, ayes!"
It was a Saturday and I spent Itf
hours cording wood In the shed, paus
Ing now and then for a look mto
my grammar.
What a day It was! he first of
many like it. I never think of those
days without saying to myself: "What
a God's blessing a - man like Silas
Wright can be in the community in
which his heart and soul are as an
open book!"
As the evening came on I took a
long look at my cords. The shed was
nearly half full of them. Four rules
of syntax, also, had been carefully
stored away in my brain. I said
them over as I hurried down into the
pasture with old Shep ana Drought in
the cows. I got through milking just
as Uncle Peabody came, I saw with
joy that his face was cheerful.
"Yip!" he shouted as he stopped his
team at the barn door, where Aunt
Deel and I were standing. "We afht
got much to worry about now. I've
got the interest money right here In
my pocket."
. We unhitched and went in to sup
per. I was hoping that Aunt Deel
would speak of my work but she
seemed not to think of it. .
I went out on the porch and stood
looking down with a sad countenance.
Aunt Deel followed me. - '
Wy, Bart !" she exclaimed, "you're
too tired 1q eat ayesl Be ye sick?
n
aink &
I KhOOK xaj fectvil.
"Peabody," she called, "this boy has
worked like a beaver every minute
since you left ayes he has! I never
see anything to beat It never I I
want you to come right out Into the
wood-shed an' see what he's done
this minute ayesl"
I followed them Into the shed. !
"Wy of all things I" my uncle ex
claimed. He's worked like a nailer,
ain't he?"
There were tears in his eyes when
he took my hand In his rough palm
and squeezed it and said:
"Sometimes I wish ye was little
again so I could take ye up in my
arms an kiss ye just as I used to
Horace Dunkelberg says that you're
the best-lookin' boy he ever see, -i
I repeated the rules I had learned
as we went to the table.
Tm goin' to be like Silas Wright if
I can," I added.
"That's the idee!" said Uncle Pea
body. "You keep on as you've start
ed an everybody'll milk into your
pail."
I kept on not with the vigor of
that first day with its new inspiration
but with growing strength and effec
tiveness. Nights and mornings and
Saturdays I worked with a will and
my book in my pocket or at the side
of the field and was, I know, a help
of some value on the farm. My schol
arship improved rapidly and that year
I went about as far as I could hope
to-go in the little school at Leonard's
Gorners. -
T wouldn't wonder If ol Kate was
right about our boy," said Aunt Deel
one day when she saw me with my
book in the field.
I began to know than that ol' Kate
had somehow .been at work in my
soul subconsciously as I would now
put it. I was trying to put truth
Into the prophecy. As I look at the
whole matter these days I can see
that Mr. Grimshaw himself was a
help no less important to me, for it
was a sharp spur with which he con
tinued to nrod n.
TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK
On page seven of this issue you will
find the third installment of our serial
story, "The Light in the Clearing."
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